Mechanism for transferring cylindrical articles



July 11. 1967 J. D. ALEXANDER MECHANISM FOR TRANSFERRING CYLINDRICAL ARTICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 8. 1966 ours gas INVENTOR JOHN D. ALEXANDER AITORNEYS' y 11, 1967 J. D. ALEXANDER 3,330,400

MECHANISM FOR TRANSFERRING CYLINDRICAL ARTICLES Filed March 8, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.2

INVENTOR JOHN D. ALEXANDER MM WM ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,330,400 MECHANISM FOR TRANSFERRING CYLINDRICAL ARTICLES John D. Alexander, Hawthorne, N.J., assignor to Miehle.

Goss-Dexter, Incorporated, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 8, 1966, Ser. No. 532,799 9 Claims. (Cl. 198-22) The present invention pertains, in general to machines for processing cylindrical containers. It is directed more specifically to an improved mechanism whereby such containers can be transferred seriatim from one conveyor on which they are paced at certain intervals to another conveyor on which the containers are spaced at different intervals.

The invention will be disclosed hereinafter as embodied in a printing press for printing preformed, seamless cans for which it is particularly adapted. This is not to be regarded as a limitation however and it will be apparent that the mechanism is capable of handling all types of hollow cylindrical container which may be formed from any of the conventional materials such as, for example, glass, plastic or metal. It shall be understood therefore that, although the term can is used hereinafter, for convenience, to identify the containers, it is intended that this term shall include all similar cylindrical articles.

In the process of manufacturing preformed seamless cans it is the practice to apply a base or prime coating to each can after it has been formed whereupon they are placed on pin chain conveyors and transported through drying ovens so that the base coating will be thoroughly dried before the cans arrive at the printing station. In order to minimize the length of the drying ovens necessary for this purpose, and thereby conserve valuable space, the pin chain conveyor is advanced at a relatively slow linear speed so that each can will remain in the oven for the length of time necessary to dry the coating and the pins thereon are spaced at relatively close intervals so that the maximum volume of cans can be accommodated by the conveyor.

It obviously would be advantageous to convey the cans from the drying oven directly to the printing machine so they could be formed, coated, dried and printed in one continuous, high speed operation. This has not been feasible, however, primarily because the printing machines used heretofore have been of the intermittently operating, indexing type which are incapable of printing the cans at the same rate that they are formed and coated. It has been necessary therefore to remove the cans from the conveyor and store them until they could be fed into an available printing press.

Quite recently, high speed, continuously operating printing machines have been developed such as, for example, the press disclosed in the copending application Ser. No. 486,998, filed Sept. 13, 1965, now Patent No. 3,779,360, which are capable of printing preformed cans as rapidly as they are produced. Nevertheless, the desirable in-line operation has not been feasible because suitable means have not been available for transferring the cans in a continuous manner from the pin chain conveyor to the mandrels of the printing press. This function has been complicated by the fact that, for various unavoidable, mechanical reasons, the mandrels of the 3,330,400 Patented July 11, 1967 printing press must be spaced at greater intervals than the pins on the pin chain conveyor and therefore the mandrel-s must travel at a proportionately higher linear speed than said conveyor.

It is an object of this invention therefore to provide a relatively simple and efficient mechanism whereby cans travelling at the linear peed of a first conveyor and at certain spaced intervals thereon, can be transferred in a continuous manner to a second conveyor travelling at a different linear speed and on which the cans are spaced at intervals different from the first conveyor.

Another object is to provide a transfer mechanism having gripper elements for maintaining positive control of the cans during their transfer from the first conveyor to the second conveyor.

A further object i to provide a transfer mechanism comprising endless chains and gripper elements and wherein the gripper elements are caused to travel at linear speeds and at intervals corresponding to the first and second conveyors by guiding the chains in predetermined paths as they pass through the respective transfer zones.

While the cans are being advanced by the pin chain conveyor they are suspended from and thus are free to swing about the respective laterally projecting pins. Consequently, they are subject to the effect of gravity, ambient drafts, slight fluctuations of the chain, etc., which may cause them to swing out of position for engagement by the grippers of the transfer mechanism.

It is a further object of this invention therefore to provide stabilizing means which are adapted to control and accurately position the cans with respect to the gripper elements of the transfer mechanism as they pass in unison through the transfer zone.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view illustrating a preferred embodiment of a transfer mechanism constructed in accordance with this invention and showing only that portion of the printing machine necessary to understand its function and operation;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional View taken substantially along line 2-2 of FIGURE 1 showing the relative positions of the respective conveyors and the transfer mechanism and particularly the structure of the can stabilizing mechanism;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken along line 33 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a view illustrating the levers and control means for actuating the stabilizing member.

As illustrated in the drawings the preformed cans 10 to be processed are conveyed directly from a forming machine and/ or drying oven (not shown) by means of a continuously moving pin chain conveyor 11 which is provided with a series of relatively closely spaced, laterally projecting pins 12 on which the cans are supported. The pin chain travels about the sprocket 13 mounted on a shaft 14 journalled for rotation in the printing machine frame and as it travels in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIGURE 1, the pins, with the cans thereon, pass successively through a transfer zone which is defined by the lines A and B.

At this point the cans are engaged by a transfer mechanism, indicated in its entirety by the numeral 16, which is adapted to remove the cans seriatim fromthe pins 12 and subsequently place them on mandrels 17 as the transfer mechanism and the mandrels pass in unison through a second transfer zone which is defined by the lines C and D. The mandrels 17 are an integral part of the printing machine and a series thereof are mounted at spaced intervals on endless chains 18 which are adapted to transport the mandrels sequentially through printing I and varnishing stations and thence to a delivery station where they are placed on a delivery pin chain conveyor by another transfer mechanism which may be substantially identical to the transfer mechanism 16.

It is deemed unnecessary to illustrate further details of the printing machine since the latter forms no part of the present invention and, if need be, reference may be had to the aforementioned copending application for a more complete description of the mandrel conveyor and the associated mechanisms. It is important to note, however, that the mandrels 17 are spaced apart on the chains 18 at intervals greater than the intervals between the pins 12 on the conveyor 11 and therefore the mandrels must travel at a proportionately higher linear velocity so that they can accept cans from the transfer mechanism at the same rate that the cans are presented to said mechanism by the pin chain. Under these circumstances, it will be evident that the transfer mechanism must be effective to assume control of and to remove the cans from the pins on the pin chain conveyor while travelling at the same linear speed as and at spaced intervals corresponding to, said pins and then place them in regular order on the faster moving, more widely spaced mandrels on the mandrel conveyor.

In one particular application, by way of example, the pins on the pin chain conveyor are spaced at 5 inch intervals whereas the mandrels of the processing machine are spaced at 8-inch intervals. Consequently, the transfer mechanism must be capable of changing the pitch of the cans by 3 inches in order to transfer them from the pin chain conveyor to the mandrels.

In accordance with this invention, the cans are transferred from the pins 12 to the mandrels 17 by the transfer mechanism 16 which -is located between the pin chain and mandrel conveyors and is comprised of a pair of spaced, endless chains 19 and 20 which are adapted to travel about spaced pairs of sprockets 22 and 23 mounted on the respective supporting shafts 24 and 25.

Connected to the chains 19 and 20 are a series of identical gripper carriages 27 each of which is comprised of one or more cross members 28, see FIGURE 2, end plates 29, and a rotatable control shaft 31 which is journalled at each end in the respective end plates. Each end plate also is provided with two rollers 32 adapted to run in continuous tracks formed by the guide rails 33 and 34 secured to adjacent frame members and the respective carriages are connected to the chains at predetermined spaced intervals by means such as drag links, indicated at 35. The guide rails 33 and 34 preferably form a continuous track parallel to the path of the chains 19 and 20 to provide rigid support for the carriages and the chains merely serve as drive means for conveying the carriages through their endless path.

A housing 36 is mounted on the control shaft 31 for sliding motion axially thereon and it provides support for the coacting gripper members 37 and 38 which are.

adapted to engage and remove the cans from the pins 12 on the pin chain 11 and transfer them to the mandrels 17. The gripper 37 is keyed to the control shaft 31 so that it will rotate therewith when said shaft is rocked but it is slidable relative to said shaft so that it is free to move axially thereon with the housing 36. The gripper 38 is pivotally mounted on a shaft 39 carried by the housing 36 so that it too will move axially with the housing and both said gripper members 37 and 38 are formed with intermesh-ing gear segments 41 and 42, respectively, so that they will move in unison between their gripping and release positions upon actuation of the control shaft 31. Adjacent one end thereof the control shaft carries a lever 43 having the roller 44 rotatably mounted at the free end thereof and the roller is adapted to engage the cam 46 as its associated carriage travels about the sprocket 23 to thereby open and close the grippers at the required intervals. A spring, not shown, normally biases the gripper fingers to their closed position.

'The housing 36 also carries a roller 47 which is adapted to traverse the endless cam 48 mounted parallel to the path of the chains 19 and 20 and this cam is adapted to control the position of the housing and thus the gripper members 37 and 38 axially 0n the control shaft 31. With reference to FIGURE 2 it will be seen that as a carriage passes through the transfer zone with respect to the pin chain conveyor 11, it is maintained in a position to the right, as viewed in said figure, by means of a tension spring, not shown, so that the gripper members are aligned with a can on a pin 12. After the grippers have closed on the can, the cam 48 is effective to shift the housing axially to the left, as indicated by the carriage at the top of FIGURE 2, to thereby remove the can axially from the pin 12. The housing is maintained in this leftward position until the carriage reaches the transfer zone with respect to the mandrel conveyor 18 wherein the can is aligned with a mandrel 17. Thereafter the cam 48 permits the housing to move axially to the right, under spring tension to thereby insert the can onto the mandrel as both the carriage and mandrel move in unison through the transfer zone.

In the particular embodiment shown in the drawings, the gripper members 37 and 38 are arranged to project substantially normal to the pitch line of the chains 19-20 and to an extent that, in their closed or can gripping position, the center point of the grippers, indicated by the numeral 51, is substantially coincident with the rectilinear path followed by the mandrel axes as they travel through the transfer zone. Moreover, the carriages 27 are spaced apart so that the intervals between the gripper center points are precisely equal to the center distance between the mandrel axes in the transfer zone and the conveyor chains 19 and 20 are driven at the same linear speed as the mandrel chains 18. Accordingly, as the respective elements travel through the transfer zone C-D, the succeeding cans travel at the same speed and at corresponding spaced intervals with respect to the mandrels so that they can readily be transferred from the gripper members 37 and 38 to the mandrels 17.

In order to engage and remove the cans from the pins 12 on the pin chain conveyor however, the grippers 37 and 38 must be caused to travel at the lower speed of said conveyor and at shorter spaced intervals corresponding to the intervals between the pins 12. This is accomplished by directing the chains 19-20. in a reverse curvilinear path between the sprockets 22 and 23, which path is concentric to the path of the pin chain and at a radius such that the center point 51 of the gripper members is substantially coincident with the pitch line of the pin chain as they travel through the transfer zone A-B. As the carriages 27 enter the transfer zone, and begin to travel in a circular path about the axis of the shaft 14,

the radius of said path is such that the gripper members are caused to converge along radial lines emanating from the axis of the shaft 14 whereby the respective center points 51 assume spaced intervals corresponding precisely to the spacing between the pins 12. Moreover, because the gripper members, or more particularly the center points thereof, travel at substantially the same radius as the pin chain, it will be seen that their linear speed through the transfer zone will be equal to the linear speed of the pins notwithstanding the fact that the chains 19-20 on which the grippers are mounted are moving at a higher linear speed through the transfer zone.

Although the gripper carriages are guided through the transfer zone in the tracks formed by the guide rails 33 and 34, the chain 20 is adapted to mesh with a sprocket 53 mounted for rotation with the shaft 14 so that both the pin chain and the carriages will move through the transfer zone in precise timed relation.

As will be seen more clearly in FIGURE 2, both the sprocket 13 and the sprocket 53 are secured to a housing 54 mounted on the shaft 14. The shaft in turn is rotatably journalled in frame members 56 and 57 of the printing press by means of the bearings 58 and 59, respectively, and it is arranged to be driven from the main drive mechanism of the press through a gear 61 secured to the end thereof.

As was mentioned hereinabove, while the cams are being advanced by the pin chain 11 they are suspended on the pins 12 and thus subject to drafts, fluctuations of the chain, etc., which may cause them to swing about the pins and be out of position for engagement by the gripper members on the respective carriages. Moreover, as the pin chain revolves about the sprocket 13, the force of gravity normally would cause the cans to hang downwardly from the pins 12 as they pass thru the transfer zone, as indicated by the broken lines in FIGURE 1, so that they would not be in proper position to be taken by the gripper members. It is necessary therefore to provide means for stabilizing the cans and which function to center the cans with respect to the gripper members as they pass thru the transfer zone.

In accordance with this invention the stabilizing means consists of a plurality of identical units arranged in circular fashion about the socket 13, each of which includes a stabilizer rod 62 which is adapted to coact with the pins 12 to thereby position the can accurately with respect to the gripper members 37-38 of the transfer mechanism as they pass thru the transfer Zone.

Each rod 62 is secured to the end of an arm 63 of a bell crank 64 which is rotatably mounted on one end of a shaft 66 which has its axis disposed parallel to the shaft 14. The shaft 66 extends thru the sprockets 13 and 53 and is supported for axial reciprocating motion relative to the sprockets by means of a bushing 67 in the sprocket 13 and a second bushing 68 seated at the end of a sleeve 69 that is telescoped over the shaft 66.

At the end thereof which projects beyond the sprocket 53 the shaft 66 is provided with oppositely disposed rollers 71 and 72, the roller 71 being adapted to travel in a cam groove 73 formed in the periphery of a circular housing 74 which is concentric to the shaft 14 and is secured to the frame member 56 by means of bolts 76. The other roller 72 is arranged to travel in a channel 77 formed in the top edge of a bracket 78, see FIGURE 3, which is secured to the sprocket 53.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that as the sprockets 13 and 53 rotate about the axis of the shaft 14, the cam track 73 acting through the roller 71 is etfective to impart axial motion to the shaft 66 whereby the rod 62 is reciprocated between a retracted position wherein it is clear of the cans 10, as indicated at the bottom position of the rod in FIGURE 2, and a projected position wherein it is inserted into the open end of a can as illustrated by the top position in FIGURE 2. Meanwhile the roller 72 riding in the channel 77 prevents the shaft 66 from rotating about its axis and thereby maintains the roller 71 in the cam track 73 while permitting the shaft 66 to move axially relative to the bracket 78.

The sleeve 69 is instrumental in controlling the angular position of the bell crank 64 about the axis of the shaft 66 and one end thereof is mounted for rotary motion relative to said shaft by means of the bearing 79 which is seated in a socket 81 in the sprocket 13. The opposite end of the sleeve is inserted thru a bushing 82 in the sprocket 53 and it extends beyond said sprocket to receive a cam lever 83, see FIGURE 4. The lever 83 is clamped to the sleeve by means of the bolt 84 and at its free end it carries a roller 86 adapted to traverse a cam 87 which is secured to the end face of the housing 74 by bolts 88. A spring 89 connected between the pin 91 on the lever 83 and a stub shaft 92 on the sprocket 53 serves to maintain the roller 86 in contact with the cam 87. A pair of identical levers 94 and 95 are clamped by means of bolts 96 to the sleeve 69 between the sprockets 1353 and at their free ends they carry a rod 97 that extends through an opening 98 in the sprocket 13 and is slidably inserted through a bushing 99 in the arm 100 of hell crank 64.

Thus it will be seen that the angular position of the bell crank 64 relative to the shaft 66 is controlled by the sleeve 69 and the rod 97 mounted thereon and that the bell crank 64 is free to slide axially relative to said rod. Accordingly, as the sprockets 13 and 53 rotate, the cam 87 acting thru the lever 83 is adapted to pivot the bell crank 64 about the axis of the shaft 66 and thereby control the position of the rod 62 relative to a coacting pin 12 on the pin chain 11.

While the function of the mechanism will be apparent from the foregoing description nevertheless a brief explanation of its mode of operation is as follows:

As each can 10 on the pin chain 11 approaches the sprocket 13 a stabilizing unit on said sprocket moves in timed relation with the particular pin 12 on which the can is supported. The stabilizer rod 62 will be in its retracted position, to the right as seen in FIGURE 2, as the roller 71 traverses a low portion of the cam track 73. The bell crank 64 also will be in its most counterclockwise position as the cam roller 86 travels over the low portion of cam 87.

Upon arriving at approximately the six oclock position of the sprocket 13 in FIGURE 1, cam roller 86 begins to climb to the high portion of cam 87 and thru the sleeve 69, levers 94-95 and rod 97, the bell crank 64 is pivoted in a clockwise direction about the axis of shaft 66 until, at approximately the seven oclock position, the rod 62 is moved adjacent to the pin 12 and is substantially coincident with the center of the can 10.

At this point, the roller 71 engages a rising portion of cam track 73 thereby shifting the shaft 66 and bell crank 64 axially, to the left in FIGURE 2, until the rod 62 is fully projected into the end of the can. During this axial motion, the arm 100 of the bell crank merely slides axially on the rod 97 as is indicated at the top position of the stabilizer unit FIGURE 2. Upon continued rotation of the sprocket 13, the roller 86 moves to a low part of the cam 87 thereby rotating the bell crank 64 in a counterclockwise direction about the axis of shaft 66, until, at about the nine oclock position, the rod 62 engages ,the wall of the can and tends to tension it against the supporting pin '12 under the tension of the spring 89. When so held, the center of the can is substantially coincident with the pitch line of the pin chain and is thus in a position to be engaged by gripper members 3738 of the transfer mechanism.

As the grippers 37 and 38 approach the ten oclock position with respect to the sprocket 13 they are held open as the cam roller 44 traverses the cam 46 and they are aligned with the pin chain, in the right hand position as viewed in FIG. 2, as the cam roller 47 on the housing 36 travels over a low part of cam 48. At the ten oclock position the grippers 37-38 are still moving at a slightly higher linear speed than the pin 12 but as they move to the eleven oclock position they enter the circular portion of their travel thru the transfer zone and the gripper fingers become aligned with a radial line extending thru the center of the can 10 and since the center point 51 of the grippers is substantially coincident with the pitch line of the pin chain it becomes aligned with the center of the can and moves at the same linear speed as the can.

Upon leaving the eleven oclock position the cam roller 44 moves oil? the cam 46 thereby permitting the grippers to close under spring tension on the cam 10. The gripper fingers 37-38 now have positive control of the can '10 and therefore as the assemblies approach the one oclock position, cam roller 86 of the stabilizer unit engages an inclined portion of cam 87 whereby the bell crank 64 is pivoted in a clockwise direction and the pressure of the rod 62 against the can is relieved. Immediately thereafter the cam roller 71 at the end of shaft 66 engages a declining portion of cam track 73 to thereby shift the rod 62 to its retracted position. Almost simultaneously with this action the cam roller 47 engages an inclined portion of cam 48 there-by shifting the housing 36 and grippers 37-38 to the left as viewed in FIGURE 2, to remove the can from the pin 12.

The can then travels under the positive control of the grippers 37-38 around the sprocket 22 and until it enters the transfer zone CD with respect to the mandrel conveyor 18. In this area the center of the can 10 is automatically aligned with the axis of a mandrel 17 and it advances through the transfer zone at the same linear speed as the mandrel. As the grippers move through the transfer zone, the cam roller 47 on the housing 36 traverses a declining portion of the cam 48 whereby the grippers are shifted to the right, as viewed in FIGURE 2, under the tension of a spring and the can is placed onto the mandrel 17. At the end of the transfer zone the grippers 37-38 are opened to release the can as the cam follower 44 once again engages the cam 46 so that the can is free to travel with the mandrel through the printing machine while the grippers return for the next cycle of operation.

While we have herein disclosed the transfer mechanism as having operation to transfer the cans from a 'low speed conveyor on which they are closely spaced,

to a higher speed conveyor on which they are more widely spaced, it will be obvious that this'sequence of operation can readily be reversed. As a matter of fact a substantially identical transfer mechanism may be used to transfer the cans from the mandrels 17 to a delivery pin chain conveyor such as 11 after they have been printed and varnished so that they can be conveyed thru a drying oven.

Moreover, it is not essential that the spacing between the center points of the grippers be equal to the spacing between the mandrels on the mandrel conveyor as is the case in the embodiment illustrated. If the mandrels were spaced at intervals greater or less than the grippers of the transfer mechanism, within obvious limits of a given machine of course, it would merely be necessary to direct the transfer chains 1920'and mandrel chain 18 through their transfer zone in concentric paths at appropriate radii so that the grippers will either converge or diverge to the extent necessary to become aligned with the mandrels as they pass thru the transfer zone.

It will thus be evident that various other modifications in the arrangement and function of the respective elements wil be obvious to persons skilled in the art and it is intended to include all such modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Mechanism for processing cylindrical articles comprising, a first endless conveyor, a series of laterally projecting elements mounted on said conveyor at uni: formly spaced intervals, and on which the articles to be processed are suspended, a second endless conveyor having a series of article engaging members thereon for removing articles seriatim from the elements on the first conveyor, said members being mounted on the second conveyor at uniformly spaced intervals different from the intervals between the elements on the first conveyor and in a manner that said members project a predetermined distance beyond the pitch line of said second conveyor,

means for continuously advancing said first and second conveyors through a transfer zone in concentric, arcuate pa hs, the path of said second conveyor having a radius such that the projecting article engaging members thereon travel through the transfer zone in a path coincident with the path of the first conveyor and temporarily assume spaced intervals coinciding with the intervals between the elements on the first conveyor, means for actuating said members to engage an article on an element of said first conveyor while said members and said element are juxtaposed and travel in unison through the transfer zone, and means for moving said members laterally relative to the path of the first conveyor to thereby remove the article from the said element.

2. Mechanism as set forth in claim 1 wherein said second conveyor comprises a pair of spaced endless chains, a series of transversely disposed carriages secured at spaced intervals to said chains, and relatively movable coacting gripper members on each carriage.

3. Mechanism as set forth in claim 1 wherein the means for actuating said members comprises a cam mounted adjacent the path of said second conveyor, and a coacting cam follower mounted for movement with said members.

4. Mechanism as set forth in claim 1 wherein the means for effecting lateral movement of said members includes a second cam mounted adjacent the path of the second conveyor and a second coacting cam follower mounted for movement with said members.

5. Mechanism as set forth in claim 1 additionally including a third conveyor having a series of mandrels mounted thereon at uniformly spaced intervals different from the intervals between the elements on the first conveyor, said mandrels being adapted to receive articles from the second conveyor, means for continuously advancing the third conveyor in a predetermined path through a second transfer zone, means for guiding the second conveyor through the secondtransfer zone in a path corresponding to the path of said third conveyor whereby'the projecting members on the second conveyor are caused to travel in a path coincident with the 'path of the mandrels on the third conveyor and to temporarily assume spaced intervals coinciding with the intervals between the mandrels on the third conveyor, and means for shifting said members laterally relative to the third conveyor as they travel through the second transfer zone in juxtaposition with a mandrel on the third conveyor to thereby transfer an article from said members to said mandrel.

6. Mechanism for processing cylindrical articles comprising a first endless conveyor, a series of laterally projecting elements mounted on said conveyor at uniformly spaced intervals, means for continuously advancing the conveyor in an arcuate path about a horizontally disposed axis through a transfer zone wherein the axes of articles suspended from said laterally projecting elements normally are displaced from the path of said conveyor, a second conveyor, a series of article engaging members on said second conveyor having operation to engage and remove articles seriatim from said elements as they move in unison through the transfer zone, said article engaging members being adapted to travel through the transfer zone in an arcuate path substantially coincident with the path of said first conveyor, and article stabilizing means mounted for continuous travel through the transfer zone in unison with the elements of the first conveyor, said stabilizing means having coaction with V a series of said article stabilizing means are mounted for rotation with said sprocket.

8. Mechanism as set forth in claim 6 additionally including control means mounted for movement with the first conveyor advancing means, and means for actuating said control means to thereby shift the stabilizing means References Cited into and out of the path of sa1d art1c1es as they enter and UNITED STATES PATENTS leave the transfer zone, respectively.

9. Mechanism as set forth in claim 6 additionally in- ,9 6,604 5/1933 Hutchinson 214-1 cluding lever means pivotally mounted on the first con- 5 2,330,712 8 Sykokis 1 3-179 X veyor advancing means for controlling the angular posi- 3,231,061 1/1966 Borkmann 198-25 tion of the stabilizing means, and means for actuating said lever means whereby to oscillate the stabilizing EVON BLUNK Primary Examiner means relative to the respective elements on the first conveyor. 10 RICHARD E. AEGERTER, Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No 3,330 ,400 July 11 1967 John D. Alexander It is certified that error appears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 1, line 58, "3,779,360" should read 3,279,360

Signed and sealed this 5th day of August 1969.

(SEAL) Attest:

WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR.

Edward M. Fletcher, Jr.

Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer 

1. MECHANISM FOR PROCESSING CYLINDRICAL ARTICLES COMPRISING, A FIRST ENDLESS CONVEYOR, A SERIES OF LATERALLY PROJECTING ELEMENTS MOUNTED ON SAID CONVEYOR AT UNIFORMLY SPACED INTERVALS, AND ON WHICH THE ARTICLES TO BE PROCESSED ARE SUSPENDED, A SECOND ENDLESS CONVEYOR HAVING A SERIES OF ARTICLE ENGAGING MEMBERS THEREON FOR REMOVING ARTICLES SERIATIM FROM THE ELEMENTS ON THE FIRST CONVEYOR, SAID MEMBERS BEING MOUNTED ON THE SECOND CONVEYOR AT UNIFORMLY SPACED INTERVALS DIFFERENT FROM THE INTERVALS BETWEEN THE ELEMENTS ON THE FIRST CONVEYOR AND IN A MANNER THAT SAID MEMBERS PROJECT A PREDETERMINED DISTANCE BEYOND THE PITCH LINE OF SAID SECOND CONVEYOR, MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY ADVANCING SAID FIRST AND SECOND CONVEYORS THROUGH A TRANSFER ZONE IN CONCENTRIC, ARCUATE PATHS, THE PATH OF SAID SECOND CONVEYOR HAVING A RADIUS SUCH THAT THE PROJECTING ARTICLE ENGAGING MEMBERS THEREON TRAVEL THROUGH THE TRANSFER ZONE IN A PATH COINCIDENT WITH THE PATH OF THE FIRST CONVEYOR AND TEMPORARILY AS SUME SPACED INTERVALS COINCIDING WITH THE INTERVALS BETWEEN THE ELEMENTS ON THE FIRST CONVEYOR, MEANS FOR ACTUATING SAID MEMBERS TO ENGAGE AN ARTICLE ON AN ELEMENT OF SAID FIRST CONVEYOR WHILE SAID MEMBERS AND SAID ELEMENT ARE JUXTAPOSED AND TRAVEL IN UNISON THROUGH THE TRANSFER ZONE, AND MEANS FOR MOVING SAID MEMBERS LATERALLY RELATIVE TO THE PATH OF THE FIRST CONVEYOR TO THEREBY REMOVE THE ARTICLE FROM THE SAID ELEMENT. 